"Process modularity, which is the ability to mix technology modules, plays an integral part in the performance and power minimization of the LU6X31FT, an automatically switchable, low-power IC," said Dave Thompson, technical manager for high-speed I/O development at Lucent's Bell Laboratories. "Critical analog and digital circuits in the LU6X31FT transceiver are implemented with different topologies to ensure immunity to power supply, substrate and other common mode noise sources.

"Pseudo-ECL logic, implemented with Lucent's BiCMOS process module, is used in the timing recovery circuits of the receiver," Thompson said. "Once the data has been retimed, conventional high-performance CMOS logic is used to minimize power dissipation."

The transceiver is the first in a family of InfiniBand products planned by Lucent Microelectronics, said Cindy Genther, director of computer I/O products in Allentown. The LU6X31FT is a physical layer (PHY) transceiver that provides the serializer-deserializer (SERDES) function for InfiniBand and Fibre Channel applications. It has a 10-bit interface for 1.0625-, 2.125- and 2.5-Gbit/sec. applications. When used with the Fibre Channel X3T11 specification, the transceiver automatically switches between 2.125- and 1.0625-Gbit/sec. speeds, said Lucent Microelectronics.

The LU6X31FT will support data transmissions over fiber, twisted pair or coaxial media when it uses SERDES technology created by Bell Labs.

In quantities of 10,000, the transceiver will sell for $18 each. Samples of the part are available today. Lucent said volume production of the transceiver will begin in the second quarter of 2000.